NEWS FROM UMASS LOWELL

November 7, 2003: A notice of upcoming events, photo opportunities and story ideas at UMass Lowell, compiled by the Communications and Marketing Office, (978) 934-3224. For more stories on UMass Lowell, visit www.uml.edu and click on NEWS

In Labor and Globalization Seminar, Forrant Details Why We're Between a Rock and a Hard Place

When: Monday, Nov. 10, noon

Where: Kitson Hall, Room 208, UMass Lowell North, University Ave

What:

Prof. Robert Forrant of the Regional Economic and Social Development Department (RESD), will present, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Some Observations on Labor and Globalization" Monday, Nov. 10 at noon in Kitson Hall, UMass Lowell North.

Bob has published widely about labor, work organization, technology and industrial development. He co-directed the UMass Lowell $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to expand the university's role in greater Lowell.

The seminar is sponsored by RESD, the Center for Industrial Competitiveness and the Work Environment Department. For information, contact William_Mass@uml.edu.

The next seminar will be David Hart, Kennedy School, Harvard University who will be speaking about "Emergence of Entrepreneurial Policy: What It Is, Where It Came From & Politics of Policy," Monday Nov. 17 at noon in O'Leary Library.

UMass Lowell Researchers to Brief Committee on Nanomanufacturing at State House

When: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 11:30 a.m.

Where: Massachusetts State House

What:

On Wednesday, November 12 at11:30House Science and Technology Chairman Brian Dempsey is hosting a session for House Science and Technology Committee members on nanomanufacturing in the State House, Room B-1. Speakers will include:

Nanotechnology -- the science of the smallest of small -- has been characterized as the enabling technology for the next industrial manufacturing revolution. Many institutions in Massachusetts have an expertise in this broad, pure science, and the federal government has been investing in it.

Nanomanufacturing is the key to turning that research into reality, and creating much-needed manufacturing jobs. With its strength in new materials and process development, a premier plastics engineering department, and extensive ties to industry, UMass Lowell has focused on this technology as a potential growth engine for the Commonwealth and the region.

Murray Examines "Civil Liberties and the USA Patriot Act"

When: Thursday, Nov. 13, 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Where: O'Leary Library, Room 222

What:

Nancy Murray of the American Civil Liberties Union, will discuss the challenge to civil liberties posed by the USA Patriot Act, Thursday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. in O'Leary Library Auditorium, Room 222, UMass Lowell South on Wilder Street. An open discussion will follow.

The event will be sponsored by PACSI (The Peace and Conflict Studies Institute) and by GLPJ (Greater Lowell for Peace and Justice). For information, contact Imogene Stulken, campus ministries, at (978) 934-5014 or email info@greaterlowellpeace.org.

Langer to Speak at UMass Lowell

Robert S. Langer will give the second annual Sukant Tripathy Memorial Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 13. The reception begins at 3 p.m., and the lecture at 3:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall on University Avenue.

Langer, a world leader in biotechnology, will speak on "Polymers for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering." Langer pioneered the process of growing cells on biodegradable polymer scaffolds in the shape of the organ to be created. The embryonic stem cell research is a significant advance over prior tissue engineering research because blood vessels began to spread into the new tissues, a condition necessary for large-scale growth.

Langer is a prolific inventor and has nearly 500 issued or pending patents worldwide. He is the author of more than 700 articles and 400 abstracts, and has received countless awards, including the $500,000 Charles Stark Draper Prize, the world's most prestigious engineering prize.